


The Mage's Treasure

by AceTrainerAlicia



Series: The Adventures of Jaina: A Faith Renewed [1]
Category: Runescape (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, questfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-08-04 13:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16347965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerAlicia/pseuds/AceTrainerAlicia
Summary: The promise of treasure in the desert seemed an ideal pursuit after she'd spent most of her money on a set of clothing. The prospect of lending her aid to an imprisoned hero for the sake of a forsaken people was an even worthier pursuit.





	1. Chapter 1

In the peaceful atmosphere of the Digsite exam center, it was possible to hear a pin drop; the only sounds in the building were the scratching of pens on paper and the soft footsteps of examiners as they carried stacks of papers and books about. As usual, the scholars worked silently, each wrapped up in their duties and studies; they were free to contemplate the many questions about the civilization that once had been on this very site as they went about their work.

That peace and quiet, however, was instantly shattered when the door banged open. As heads swiveled and gasps were uttered, in rushed a panting young woman in a simple lavender dress, her bright purple pigtails and the white ribbons they were tied up with streaming behind her.

Her wide gray eyes darted around the room as she skidded to an abrupt stop, her gaze falling on the red-shirted gentleman seated behind a large desk in the corner. “Dr. Balando!” she called out, smiling sheepishly as she waved to him.

The archaeologist rose from his chair, smiling back at her. “Good afternoon, Jaina. That look on your face, as well as your… dramatic… entrance just now, must mean you’ve found something of great interest! Perhaps a relic or knowledge of this very ancient settlement?”

“I did!” Jaina said brightly, taking a moment to adjust the shoulder strap of her leather travel bag before making her way over to his desk. “Well, technically several relics, although I only acquired one. It’s kind of a long story; should I just tell you the short version?”

Dr. Balando laughed, stroking his beard. “Do share the long version, lass! Your adventuring has certainly done much good for the museum so far.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Alright, well, I was visiting the Grand Exchange to pick up a package…”

~***~

“Staves, runes, wands, orbs! All the implements a budding mage could ever need!”

“Soaps, salves, skin paste, scented oils, for all your cosmetic needs! Ah, yes, ma’am, I see you are interested in my softening rose body butter...”

“Fine blades and armors, dwarven-made! Direct from Keldagrim! Crafted at the mighty Blast Furnace!”

“The finest furs, straight from the northern wildlands! Guaranteed to keep you warm and toasty come Wintumber!”

“Pouches, shards, summoning supplies! All kinds of familiars with all different capabilities, for the veteran summoner and would-be beast tamer alike!”

The trade hub known as the Grand Exchange was as noisy and lively as usual for the late spring, with merchants’ booths set up all around the outer circle. Jaina wove her way through the crowd of people milling about, trying not to feel too overwhelmed by the merchants all shouting at once, and made her way towards the central booth, where navy blue-suited clerks waited to manage orders and deliveries.

As she got in line to wait, she could hear the apothecary greeting a customer with a “Can I interest you in some of my fine scented oils and salves, ma’am?” just as someone else asked loudly how much it would be for a kyatt-fur coat. She would do some shopping of her own once she had picked up her package; some scented soaps and oils would be nice, especially to wear to Miscellania for her fiance—she blushed at the thought of Brand liking how she smelled and composing a bad poem on the fly about it—and she was excited to see what beautiful staves, magic books, and other mystical trinkets were for sale.

It wasn’t long before the two people in front of her stepped forward towards the booth, and another clerk waved her over. She nodded politely in greeting as she approached, holding out an order form as she stepped up to the counter. “Hi, I’m here to pick up some runes!”

The silver-haired clerk nodded, looking over her half-moon spectacles at the order form. “Ah yes, the death, blood, and soul runes? Mm, yes, the fee has been paid in full… hm, wait here a moment while we retrieve that for you!”

She ducked into a door in the center of the booth, and Jaina took a moment to survey the various merchants’ stalls more closely. The magic equipment seller had only one customer and several impressively crafted staves on display that caught her eye at first glance; she would be going there first. The apothecary, on the other hand, currently had three people browsing her wares, and the summoning supplier was frantically trying to deal with two rowdy boys who were attempting to open the summoning pouches; Jaina recognized them as Shilop and Wilough Fairweather, indeed, poor Gertrude was struggling to restrain them while carrying Kanel in her arms. So like little boys to run wild like that, Jaina knew all too well.

No sooner had she spied the boys than the clerk reappeared, holding out a brown cloth package tied with a string. “Your runes, miss. We look forward to your continued patronage!”

“Yes, thank you!” The adventurer graciously nodded and tucked the package into her bag, hurrying over to the magic equipment dealer’s booth. The customer before her, clearly a Tower wizard based on the trim of his robe, was already on his way off, and the dealer’s eyes lit up as he spotted her approaching.

“Now here’s a patron I’m glad to see!” he greeted with a wide smile. “I have a fine selection of staves to offer you today, Jaina! Or, if you’re interested in a wand and orb set, this one right here can serve as a powerful enough magical focus that some of your runes can be conserved! I am unsure if it is true or not that they are made from the tendrils and heart of an abyssal demon, or if they are simply modeled after them and gained their power from the Abyss, but they nonetheless would serve your spellcasting needs quite well!”

Jaina was already looking over the row of staves lined up on a rack for display behind the dealer. “I do like them, but I’m still a lot more comfortable with a staff… oh, but I can’t decide on just one yet!”

“Do feel free to browse to your heart’s content!” The dealer curiously rested his chin in his hand. “How have you been, by the way? I do wonder what your plans are now that you’ve made it into the Legends’ Guild! Few can even dream of such a thing…”

“I know what my next plan is,” she said, drawing herself up proudly. “I’m going to master the standard and Lunar spellbooks and prove myself worthy of the cape of magic mastery! I think I have the Lunar spells under my belt after how long I worked with them on Lunar Isle, so that just leaves Fire Surge...”

“The apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree,” the dealer remarked, smiling warmly. “You really are every bit Daelin’s daughter! He would be so proud of you, seeing your unstoppable determination.”

Jaina laughed quietly and returned the smile. “How I wish he could see how far I’ve come...”

After considerable looking over the staves, wands, and orbs, as well as a lengthy conversation with the dealer about her plans to pursue the cape of magic mastery, she finally chose a mystical-looking, purple-patterned gilded staff topped with a purple hand-shaped talisman, a golden eye upon the palm. Beneath the hand, within a golden circle, glowed a soft blue orb of light, and the shaft curved in an S shape with another circle, a second handle inside it, at its center. She also selected the abyssal wand and orb and twenty gold’s worth of charms and trinkets to display in her house, and thanked the dealer and paid before heading for the apothecary’s stall.

When she had finished tucking her oil jars and floral soaps into her bag, she glanced over at the summoning supplier’s stall and considered whether or not she should stock up on spirit shards while she was here. She wasn’t running low just yet, and she did still have quite a few pouches in case she needed the aid of a familiar… still, one more shard package could never hurt…

“Jaina! Over here!”

Jaina stopped short and blinked, surprised to hear her name called, and looked towards the sound of the voice. She spotted a red-clad warrior at one of the stalls, waving her over. He was seated in front of wooden mannequins wearing shining suits of armor both silver and gold, and the table in front of him displayed several antique urns, statuettes, and even a small cithara. It was strange to see a merchant in full plate armor, let alone something as expensive and rare as dragon platemail—he even wore a full helm, hiding his face. Wasn’t that uncomfortable and stuffy on a warm day like this? Why would a merchant wear full plate anyway, as if he were going into battle rather than selling things?

As she approached his stall, the dragon-armored warrior stood and bowed in greeting. She could see that he had twin swords of dragon metal sheathed on his back as well. “Afternoon, Jaina Katarn of Lumbridge! What an opportunity, to encounter a famous heroine on a day like this! I am myself an adventurer, and have braved the depths of the Wilderness to procure rare, ancient, and legendary antiques, weaponry, and armor—but not just suits of heavy plate, either! I just so happen to have acquired a beautiful robe that would be perfect for a brave and noble magic-wielder such as you!”

Before Jaina had a chance to say anything, he ducked under the table and unfolded a long silvery-white gown trimmed with red and gold, a gracefully curving gilded breastplate with a Saradomin star on it sewn to the bodice. It had pointed, gilded pauldrons inlaid with rubies attached to the shoulders and golden wristlets at the ends of the sleeves. The outer skirts were layered over a maroon inner skirt, and a belt with a large round buckle bearing a prominent golden Saradomin star was attached to the waist.

“Behold!” the merchant declared proudly. “This fine garment dates back to the Second Age, fashioned in the legendary kingdom of Hallowvale itself! It is impressive that it survived the kingdom’s fall at the hands of the vampyres, and in such excellent condition! The use of red rather than the traditional blue for the garb of a warrior of Saradomin is most curious, is it not? Makes you ponder how things were in the glory days of Hallowvale… But I ramble! As you might have surmised, it is a robe for magically inclined maidens such as yourself—there is even a beautiful staff to match it!”

Jaina opened her mouth to protest that she wasn’t even Saradominist, but the merchant kept talking, motioning to a gilded staff topped with a lion’s head as he did. “Ordinarily I would ask a price of three hundred thousand for these ancient armor sets, five if you want the sword, bow, or staff together with the armors, but for you, I’ll make an exception! For a mere two hundred five thousand, the robe and staff are yours! What do you say, my friend?”

Two hundred five thousand? Even if she were a noblewoman or princess and had vast amounts of money to throw around, there was no way she could pay such an exorbitant price, let alone in order to walk around covered in Saradomin stars from head to toe. Still, there was no point in getting into a religious debate with this merchant or even pointing out she was Guthixian; there were many reasons she couldn’t and wouldn’t buy the robe anyway.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but I just can’t afford to pay that much,” she said, biting her lip awkwardly. “Besides, the robe was designed for soldiers, not for adventurers. Have you ever tried to run, jump, or climb in a long skirt? I could trip on the hem, be slowed down, or get the skirts caught on something, and I wouldn’t want to damage a valuable relic like that! I’m sure the military battlemages of Hallowvale were deployed in the back lines—much like modern ones, except magic users in a time before runecrafting would be much more crucial to protect!”

The merchant was silent for a moment, though she couldn’t tell what she was thinking behind his full helmet. At last he uttered an awkward chuckle. “You do raise a good point; I was merely considering how one of your magical talent and beauty would look resplendent in it! Indeed, it may not be the most practical. But! Have no fear! I just so happen to have another ancient and valuable garment that would suit your needs far better!”

Again he ducked under the table, this time producing a whitish-blue bundle tied up with a silvery scarf. He loosed the scarf and unfolded the bundle to reveal a simple dress with a shorter skirt and short sleeves, the hem and sleeves trimmed with dark gray bands, a matching overcoat with dark gray trim, and a matching soft hat with a carved dragonbone crown attached. The ensemble appeared plain and ordinary, the hat aside, though she liked how the pale blue-white hue was reminiscent of fresh snow on a winter morning.

“Now, do not let the unassuming appearance of this garment fool you! In the turmoil of the God Wars, there was little access to resources of all sorts, textiles included. The elaborate designs of the Second Age were no longer possible! Indeed, the seamstresses of the Third Age were forced to shorten sleeves, skirts, and trousers in order to save fabric, and there was often no room for even the simplest of patterns! Of course, nowadays we forget the reason for short sleeves, skirts, and trousers and often wear them by choice—but I digress again! This is, in fact, a mage’s robe enchanted in the Third Age! You can tie the scarf around your waist like a belt, as the mages of the time did, or tie it around your neck on a chilly day! The use of bone for the crest of the hat--a dragon’s bone, to be specific--is another telltale sign of the many scarcities and deaths of the wars.”

Curiously Jaina touched the sleeve of the overcoat. The cotton fabric was smooth and pleasantly cool to the touch, and she could feel the warding enchantment woven into the threads. She did like the look of the outfit; the shorter skirt would allow her to run, jump, and climb as needed, and the whole ensemble would be comfortable for many occasions; she would be able to tie the overcoat around her waist in warmer climates and put on the scarf on in colder ones. The hat would never fit on her head as long as her hair was tied up, and she wasn’t fond of the bone crest. Still, even it could come in handy, somehow… But it would certainly be expensive! Should she really pay several hundred thousand for it, when that would set her back a good deal?

“I see you like it already!” the merchant remarked brightly. “It goes well with your eyes, too! But! Simple though it may be in design, it is still a rare and valuable piece of history! I would normally be asking a hundred thousand for the whole set, but for you, how does eighty thousand sound?”

Jaina decided that the outfit was worth a few months of extra work for her keep—she would take her chances. “Make it seventy-five thousand; deal?”

“Seventy-five thousand it is, and it’s yours!” The merchant was clearly very cheerful despite the fearsome appearance of his armor. “May it serve you well in your travails to come, Jaina Katarn of Lumbridge!”

~***~

“…in other words, that’s a very long way of saying that this merchant’s wares are of considerable interest to the museum, and I’m looking for work again!” the adventurer finished, laughing awkwardly. “Are there any tasks around the Digsite or other museum business that needs doing?”

Dr. Balando looked over the notes on his desk. “Actually, there is a special task I think you would be suited for! You have experience braving the heat of the Kharidian Desert, after all.”

“And there’s a lead you want me to follow there?” Jaina guessed.

The archaeologist nodded. “Indeed, have you heard of the fabled Asgarnia Smith? He recently located a stone tablet beneath the sands, and believes it leads to a great buried treasure deep within the western desert! Perhaps a Menaphite pharaoh’s crown, or a hidden cache left by demonic marauders! I just happen to have finished translating the tablet this morning, although it is written in an unusual dialect of ancient Infernal and some archaic words have a different meaning based on intonation and context. How curious… the finds from this excavation have been confirmed to frequently bear ancient Infernal scripts, although more formal…”

Shuffling around the papers on his desk, he slid a red leather-bound book towards her. “Asgarnia has been investigating an oasis encampment where the Bedabin nomads currently roam, near the western coast of the desert. If you could meet him there with this translation, and help him follow the leads it provides? You would be doing the museum a great favor, and more than earn a fair sum for your work!”

Jaina picked up the book and read through it. There wasn’t much to Dr. Balando’s notes, and he had made mention that the rest of the story was likely on a series of stone tablets that the museum didn’t have yet—but what little he had translated referred to some kind of imprisoned or concealed wealth or power, placed there by the gods, with four diamonds or crystals as the key. The information might be sparse, but it was no less fascinating… perhaps this would be a way to both earn her keep back and work towards the cape of magic mastery! A secret like that would have strong enemies guarding it--there was always some kind of enemy in the way, be it a guardian such as the Dramen tree spirit, a particularly strong monster like the Dagannoth mother, or just a hive of monsters that just happened to be there--and if she could finally manage the elusive Fire Surge spell in combat against one, doubtless the cape of magic mastery would soon be hers! The rest of the tablets were likely hidden in the desert sands; there might well be some deep in the kalphite hive, in the mighty insect queen’s lair...

“You can count on me!” she exclaimed, beaming as she tucked the notes into her bag. “But I’ll need to spend a couple days helping out at the museum proper before I set out, if you don’t mind? I’m kind of strapped for money at the moment, and I couldn’t ask my brother to borrow much. He… has his own issues…”

Dr. Balando looked a little disappointed, but nodded anyway. “Of course, Jaina. Just bear in mind that Asgarnia can be an impatient fellow! You wouldn’t want to keep him waiting in the desert too long.”

“I won’t, promise!” With that she adjusted her bag’s shoulder strap and hurried out of the Exam Center, her hair and ribbons bouncing behind her.

~***~

At first, she had been glad to split up with Asgarnia Smith and head south of the Bedabin nomads’ camp. She wanted to tell Dr. Balando that his good friend was nothing more than an unscrupulous treasure hunter, and she didn’t think she should bring even a part of whatever was found to Smith at all. Now, however, she rather might have preferred the company of Smith.

Standing awkwardly in the center of the small desert encampment, Jaina found herself remembering the first time she’d walked into Rellekka. The way the guards had coldly told her she’d better not cause any trouble, the disapproving stares of the Fremennik citizens, the catty remarks the people had made about her hair and about how a dirty outerlander mage had a lot of nerve coming there—and that she was either very brazen or very stupid—it had been confusing and frightening, and now things were like that all over again. This time her brother wasn’t around to come to her defense, either—not that a place like this would suit Korrilan; he likely would be provoked into fighting the people here, rather than being excited about their beer and food.

At least the Fremennik had been willing to let her prove herself. She doubted these people would be so merciful—several tough-looking men glared darkly at her, some even clutching their daggers. The women’s glares seemed somehow even more hostile, and a few of them were quickly ushering their gawking children away from her.

"Mama, look at the funny lady! Why does she have such weird hair?” a small boy asked loudly, pointing at her.

“She came from outside the desert,” his mother replied stiffly. “Doesn’t matter where. People like her get to live comfortably on the lands we lost in the days of old, while we suffer here in the harsh desert sun. We must hope that she does the sensible thing and leaves us be—she already has more than she deserves.”

Jaina shifted nervously, biting her lip. She hadn’t even done anything or said anything, and these people were already acting like she had killed their firstborn. Why did they want to bite her head off? Would any of them even let her ask about the four diamonds, or would they brush her off or worse before she could even open her mouth? Should she try to stay out of their way and sneak around for information instead?

“What are you standing there for?” demanded a particularly large, bearded man, striding towards her with a curved dagger in hand. “What do you think you’re going to find here? If you’re not gonna buy anything, get out!”

Jaina swallowed hard, backing away slightly. She still didn’t have that much in her purse, but if they wanted her to buy something, perhaps she could ask the merchants just the one question she needed to ask. “Um… what is there for sale here?”

“Bar’s that way. Shopkeeper’s tent is over there.” The man pointed in the direction of a large lodge and a small tent respectively as he spoke. “And don’t even try to haggle the prices! Just buy something—a meal, a drink, a waterskin or two, I don’t care—and be on your way!”

“Y-yes, sir, on my way, sir…” She quickly skirted around him and made a beeline for the bar. Buying food or drink might give her a better opening to ask about the four diamonds, as she would have to finish eating before she left—well, if she wasn’t thrown out immediately anyway.

As she walked in, the men in the bar turned to glare darkly at her, and the bartender straightened up. “You buying something? If you’re not, then scram!”

She was sweating profusely as she approached a vacant bar stool. “What’s on your menu?”

“House ale’s 65 a pop,” the bartender replied coldly. “Kebabs are 45.”

Jaina nodded, reaching for her coinpurse as she nervously sat down. “I-I’d like both a kebab and a drink, please!” She rooted around in her money pouch and put 150 gold on the counter, hoping that showing a little generosity would lessen a bit of the hostility.

The bartender counted the coins, frowning as he noticed the extras. “Trying to butter me up or something? Oh well, guess I can’t complain about more cash.”

He pocketed the payment and slid a mug of odd orange ale down to her, and then ducked into a back room briefly before returning with a kebab. “Now listen here, lady, when you finish, you get out of here, got it?”

“Yes, sir… I-I didn’t plan to stay long anyway…” Shakily she took a sip of the ale. It was watery, but clean and refreshing, a bit sweet even—and it tasted a lot better than disgusting beer. It still wasn’t the kind of thing she’d normally want to drink, and it still burned her throat, but at least she had performed a good deed and helped someone in need by buying it, she hoped.

“What’d you even expect to find here in this gods-forsaken desert?”

Jaina quickly swallowed the first bite of kebab, her stomach clenching as the spicy sauce seared her mouth. Daunting as it was, she might as well tell the truth, and if everyone did turn on her suddenly, she did have teleport runes and teletabs. There didn’t look to be any archers among them either; she could easily get away in an emergency if she was quick enough.

“I heard something about four diamonds…”

A collective gasp arose, and the bar fell silent. She could feel all eyes on her, and the bartender’s eyes were wide. “How did you hear about the four diamonds?” he demanded.

Jaina wrung her hands and blinked. “So you’ve heard of them?”

“Eh, it’s just a fairy tale for children.” The bartender sighed and shook his head. “Look, lady, if you really wanna know more about it, go talk to Eblis—he’s our village leader.”

She nodded. “Where can I find this Eblis?”

“His tent’s the big one on the south side, and he goes up to the dune just southeast of town to pray sometimes. Longish hair, no beard—you can’t miss him.”

She hastily nodded again. “Thank you, sir. I-I’ll try to be quick!”

“Just finish up and get lost, okay?” the bartender snapped. “Your sort isn’t welcome in my bar.”

She meekly nodded and went back to her kebab, though the piercing stares of all the men in the bar made it hard to be quick. It took her several minutes to finish the meal and drink because her hands were shaking so much, her mouth and throat were on fire, and she had to be careful not to spill anything on her clothes—but when she did, she anxiously slid off the bar stool and hurried on her way.

Glancing into the large tent the bartender had spoken of, distinct from the rest by the ragged twin banners that hung on each side of its entrance flap, she saw a handsome man dressed in a white desert robe, rather than the trousers most of the other local men wore, sitting there cross-legged. His head was bowed reverently, his eyes closed as he softly murmured what she assumed to be a prayer in a language she couldn’t make out. Long, silky black bangs hung in his eyes, and his face was clean-shaven and neat.

“Pardon me, sir,” she said, trying to not let her voice shake, “are you Eblis?”

The man stood up, his onyx eyes narrowing as he emerged from the tent. “I am, but I have nothing to say to you. The only time people care about our existence is when they think they have something to gain from us, and I’ve no reason to believe you are any exception.”

“Actually, I-I only wished to ask a few questions… Please?”

Eblis sighed. “Very well, I suppose I can spare you that. Sit down.” He motioned for her to come into the tent, and she quietly obliged. He drew the tent flaps closed before he sat back down again, and she took her place on the worn cushion across from him.

She anxiously brushed sand off her skirt and shoes. “Why is everyone here so hostile?”

He shook his head and huffed, his eyes glued to the frayed beige blankets on his straw-filled bed. “It is a long story, and I doubt you would care to hear it. None of your kind ever do…”

“I wouldn’t mind knowing, actually!” It was true, but she wasn’t sure he would be any friendlier to her even if she did listen. “I also wanted to ask you about four diamonds…”

Eblis straightened up suddenly, uttering a gasp. “You seek the four Diamonds of Azzanadra?”

Jaina blinked in confusion. “Erm, yes? You’ve heard of them?”

“Of course! They are the legacy of our greatest hero!” Eblis’ eyes were shining eagerly, and he lowered his head. “Please accept my apologies, noble madam; I believed you were some opportunistic thief, here to steal what little heritage we have left! Now I see that you seek to restore our glories to us!”

“Greatest hero?” Now she was even more confused. “Who is this hero exactly? I’m guessing the diamonds belong to him?”

Eblis nodded. “You asked why everyone was so hostile to you—well, the long story behind that relates to our hero. You wished to hear the story, yes?”

She nodded, and he described how his ancestors had once lived in prosperity until their god was banished, how the forces of Saradomin and Zamorak had hunted them down and driven them from their homes and into the desert, how the great hero had strived to protect them and keep them safe, only to be ultimately trapped in a pyramid near the camp. “For all we suffer here, we have always carried in our hearts the knowledge that he will one day return to us, and then we can reclaim what was stolen from us!”

Jaina sat up straighter. “A hero in need of rescuing? Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

“Ah, my initial impression was very wrong indeed, it seems!” Eblis remarked, and straightened up slightly as well. “You see now the significance of the diamonds—if you return them, it will surely free him! They were stolen by four warriors of Zamorak generations ago, and these four have taken the diamonds’ power into themselves. Beware, for they are very powerful, and known to highly resist both bow and blade!”

“Does that mean that they’ll be vulnerable to magic?”

“I suspect that is the case; each diamond has an element—smoke, shadow, blood, and ice, respectively. Taking on the elemental quality of the diamonds may grant the warriors strength, but it will also grant them weakness—elemental weakness, most likely. Which of your spells will be effective, I know not for sure, but you could ponder it and figure it out.”

What unusual elements he described… what would such magical elements be like? Could she learn how to use those? Oh, but she shouldn’t get ahead of herself...

“I can do that! I know two spellbooks now, though there are still some spells I’m working on perfecting so that I can prove myself a true master of magic.” She frowned, shifting her position slightly. “Where would these warriors be, though? I’ve got to find them right away!”

“There is an ancient spell I know of that could track down the power of the diamonds,” Eblis said, “but it will require some ingredients that you will need to provide.”

Jaina listened carefully as he listed what he would need, pulling out her adventurer’s log to write each of them down. When he finished, she stood up and reached into her bag for a teletab, promising to return with the supplies as soon as possible.

Earning money would have to wait; she could worry about that when the hero in need was free. He needed her help, and she had to come to his aid right away—Asgarnia Smith could always get his own material treasure if he wanted, and the museum would be interested in the existence of a legendary hero of ancient times anyway, especially if she could locate the other stone tablets that told his tale. She would prove herself worthy of the cape of magic mastery and rescue the hero at the same time!

~***~

The adventurer hadn’t expected to be coming back here so soon, and certainly not before her quest was complete--but she knew she couldn’t steal from these people; this gilded cross was probably being saved to sell for food. There had to be a better way to obtain it, and she knew Eblis would surely be pleased to see that she had already recovered half the diamonds. The question was, would it be enough to win a tiny bit of the trust of the others?

She found Eblis up on the high dune where he’d constructed the six magic mirrors, seated cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed in prayer. What he might be praying for, she had no idea, but she didn’t want to interrupt him before he finished.

She moved behind a mirror to give the mystic some space, and it wasn’t long before he finished his prayer and slowly rose. “You have returned,” he said quietly, his tone impossible to gauge whether or not he was pleased or displeased to see her.

“With two of the diamonds, no less!” Jaina opened her bag and held them both out for him to see. The crimson blood diamond was warm to the touch and practically pulsated like a beating heart in her hand, while the smoke diamond swirled with gray wisps and curls.

Eblis’ eyes widened as he stared at the diamonds. “Some of my people fear you to be a fraud, a false hope, but to look upon these, to see them in the flesh… it is proof that you have not failed us! Have you brought these to me for safekeeping?”

Jaina nodded, realizing she should have considered that. “Yes, but I also need to inform you of the progress of my quest! See, the shadow diamond lies somewhere beneath the banks of Baxtorian Falls, but there’s this merchant who approached me, and he has a trinket I need to access it. He offered to let me have it, but requested I retrieve a gilded cross that he claimed one of your people stole first. I don’t expect your people to just trust me, a stranger, but at the same time I don’t want to harm them when I’m trying to help...”

Eblis gazed at her quietly, seemingly lost in thought. “I see… I thank you for telling me the truth, rather than simply doing what this man asked of you. Although your story does seem somewhat far-fetched, I do recall a shady merchant coming here some months ago… there was something off about him, and he offered to sell food and wares at exorbitant prices. We were forced to drive him out of town, but I know some of the men carried off some plunder from his stock to sell in Pollnivneach. You must understand that this was done to feed our families, our children...”

“Yes, I understand, and I don’t fault you for doing what it takes to survive...” Jaina swallowed nervously. “The merchant said it was a man named Laheeb who took the cross, but I don’t know how he knew that… I don’t know how he knew what I was after either, for that matter...”

The mystic’s dark skin seemed to pale slightly. “He could name names? Does that mean he knows the names of the other men who looted his wares? Does he know of their wives, their children? Does he plan some kind of retribution?”

“He didn’t say,” Jaina replied, feeling her stomach flutter at the thought of the people being in danger, “but I think he wanted me to steal the cross back as revenge. He didn’t mention any of the other items at all… I was hoping I could talk to this Laheeb, rather than steal from him! Would he understand that I need the cross to help your hero?”

“It would be best if I accompanied you, if you are to speak with him,” said Eblis solemnly, motioning her to follow him before accepting the two diamonds from her. “Many of my people remain distrustful of you, and I see you understand why. Far too many have come to dismiss the old tales entirely as they fall deeper into despair... But first, tell me of this trinket the merchant has, and how it is connected to the shadow diamond.”

Jaina followed him down the dune. “An old ring, plain and worn--it doesn’t look like anything special, but it confers the power to see things hidden in the shadows. He allowed me to try it on to prove that his claims about it were true, and as strange as it sounds, I did indeed see faded, ethereal things when it was on my hand, including the entrance to the diamond guardian’s lair!”

“The world is full of things most would believe impossible,” Eblis remarked as they headed into the outskirts of the camp, towards his tent. “I am aware of the kind of ancient magic you describe--have you met the scholar Ali the Wise? His library includes books on a parallel realm of shadow where many things lurk unseen, invisible to the eyes of most.”

The adventurer stopped short, her eyes widening. “I do know him!” she exclaimed. “I’ve only consulted with him once before, but it will be good to visit him again… maybe he knows something about the diamonds and the hero?”

“That he does,” said Eblis, nodding. “I have not been to his home in many years, but I studied much of his research in my youth! He helped me keep my faith in our heritage and our old tales, helped me never lose sight of the fact that Azzanadra is truly there, that I must never lose faith in our lord...”

At his tent, he stopped for a moment, pulling back the flap to duck inside momentarily; she surmised he must be storing the diamonds for safekeeping. When he reemerged and beckoned for her to follow him again, the adventurer did so; as they came upon the bar, she could hear angry shouting coming from within. She listened closely, trying to make out what was going on.

“--oughtta just take that there lute of yours and make you wear it like a collar, Al Kharid dog!”

“Wait, wait, let’s not be so hasty! All I said was maybe you fine gentlemen could stand to take it easy and not get so riled up about a few silly religious icons...”

Jaina stopped short, uttering a surprised gasp. “That voice! I know him! What the blazes is he doing here, though?”

Eblis’ brows knitted sharply together. “Whoever this acquaintance of yours is, he knows nothing of the hardships our people have been through...”

“He’s a friend, of sorts,” said Jaina, shaking her head. “Let me talk some sense into him!”

She hurried into the bar, and sure enough, most of the patrons and the barkeep were glaring daggers at a familiar dashing rogue, dressed brightly in orange and yellow. He had set his bow and quiver aside in the corner he was currently backed into, holding up a lute in front of him like a shield, and was grinning sheepishly at the three furious men surrounding him.

Jaina hurried over to him. “Ozan, what are you doing here?”

Ozan’s brandy-brown eyes lit up. “Why, Jaina! I certainly didn’t expect to see you out here. As you can see, these fellows have a bit of a chip on their shoulders--”

“A bit of a chip?” roared one of the men cornering him. “You have no idea of the suffering our people have endured for centuries, you spoony bard! You have no idea what we have had to do just to barely scrape by, how much we’ve lost!”

“Hey, I’ve been there too,” Ozan said, his voice cracking slightly. “Had to eat to live, had to steal to eat, had to sleep alone on the streets with no blanket or bed on the cold desert nights… but the gods are no big deal! I pray to Het sometimes for health and strength, and to Elidinis sometimes for clean water, and a lot of folks pray to Saradomin’s beard for… fancy beards, I suppose?”

“No big deal? NO BIG DEAL?” bellowed the largest of the men. “You have the absolute nerve to say that the entire reason we’re stuck in this burning sandpit with nowhere else to go, the reason our children have forgotten what hope is if they even survive at all, the reason our leader desperately puts stock in hopeless fairy tales, is NO BIG DEAL?” His hand was already clenching into a fist. “Listen, pal, try telling me how we’re treated at the hands of zealous outsiders is no big deal again when you’ve got a bloodied nose and no teeth left!”

“Wait, wait!”

Jaina tried to squeeze between Ozan and the men, but a smaller man with a thick curly beard moved to block her way. “Lady, this doesn’t involve you! And don’t even think of sticking up for this idiot, either!”

“Enough!”

The whole bar fell silent as Eblis strode fiercely in, his eyes sharply narrowed. The three men seemed cowed by his piercing onyx glare, and Ozan seemed to shrink behind his lute, a stark contrast to his usual bravado.

“Jamesh. Garsiv. Laheeb.” The mystic’s voice was as soft and even as it was stern. “Sheathe your weapons. I will question this tactless outsider as to his motives for coming here. Laheeb, there is something else to be discussed with you after the matter is resolved.”

The bearded man that had approached Jaina nodded respectfully as his companions relaxed their fists. “As you wish, Eblis, but I cannot be away from my wife too long. The morning sickness has taken its toll on her, and I worry about our child’s health too...”

“Morning sickness?” Jaina drew herself up straighter. “Pardon me, Mr. Laheeb sir, but I am well practiced in the arts of herbalism! I can mix up a potion that reliably keeps morning sickness away! Many a pregnant woman in my hometown was grateful to my mother for providing it.”

Laheeb frowned and eyed her with a softer, but still skeptical gaze. “You are offering to provide medicine for my wife, outsider? This seems too good to be true… you could just as easily hand me a poison that would harm my child...”

“I have no reason to hurt a child,” she pointed out. “I understand why you don’t trust me, but I promise I’m not some cruel and heartless killer… I can also provide you with the herbs and seeds for the potion, and a planter box as well!”

“I can vouch for her,” Eblis chimed in. “She has followed through with a task to aid me on behalf of our entire people; if you still question her intentions, I will make sure she remains true to her word before allowing her to give you any herbs or potions. But first, the Kharidian...”

Ozan lowered his lute slightly. “I mean no harm, sir!” he exclaimed, grinning nervously. “I simply wanted to stop by to eat, drink, and be merry, to liven things up around here with a tune or two! And, well, perhaps break into Menaphos for a bit of treasure hunting...”

“Break into Menaphos? You, of all people?” The large man snorted and let out a loud guffaw. “Hear that? The scrawny dog thinks he can just sneak into the walls of Menaphos, using our bar as a waypoint, and then sneak back out again alive! As if their thugs in Pollnivneach aren’t bad enough, as if the desert wouldn’t likely take him, as if the pharaoh wouldn’t have eyes and ears everywhere in that wretched city...”

Eblis sighed. “We have many traditional songs of our own, Kharidian, likely many more that have been lost to the ages. When we wish to hear other tunes, the bar in Pollnivneach is the place to go...”

As she looked at Ozan, the wheels in Jaina’s head seemed to turn and fall into place. “Wait… Mr. Laheeb, sir, about a gilded cross...”

“Yes, that is what we need to discuss,” said Eblis, before the surprised Laheeb had a chance to respond. “She hopes to persuade you to part with it, for the sake of her aid to us.”

Laheeb blinked, staring blankly. “That’s a strange request to make, and it’s even more suspicious that you know about that trinket. If you must know, I’ve been saving it to sell in case my wife and child become seriously ill and need a healer, or if something goes wrong with the birth. I pray the day I must sell it will never come, but I cannot take any chances!”

Jaina had figured such a thing might be the case, and a part of her felt terrible about asking such a thing of him… but since Ozan was here...

“I have an idea… if I could exchange the cross for another valuable trinket that can be sold in case of an emergency… Ozan, you can obtain such a piece of jewelry, right? It’s not like the mayor of Pollnivneach needs all that wealth...”

“Why settle for that?” A broad grin spread across Ozan’s face. “I can acquire something from within the walls of Menaphos itself! I hear they have many wealthy merchants who boast about their baubles, bangles, and beads.”

Laheeb raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, and then turned to look at Jaina again, seeming to consider what she had said. Finally, he spoke up again. “I do not trust this bard, so let us speak of your other proposal. If you can indeed help with my wife’s morning sickness--and with making sure she and the child have enough to eat--I will be most grateful.”

The adventurer nodded steadfastly. There might be a delay in finding the diamonds, but it was worth helping this man’s family for. “I won’t let you down, promise!”


	2. Chapter 2

With a loud crackle and a poof, a small cloud appeared above the empty wooden barrels, and immediately fresh water poured from the cloud until each barrel was full to the brim. As the cloud slowly dissipated, the white-robed woman could only stare agape at the water in the barrels.

“By the Great Lord! I’ve not seen this much water in my life besides the sea! And you would share this magic with our people so readily...”

The purple-haired adventurer smiled at her. “Well, never let it be said that I don’t help out those who need it! Lunar magic does take considerable expertise to cast, though, so I’m not sure how well I could teach the spell… Or supply you all with runes, for that matter...”

She glanced down at the woman’s swollen belly. “By the way, how is the potion working for you, Marise? I’ve been hoping to set up planter boxes for the ranarr and mint, but I’ll probably still have to bring in the limes--”

“It does indeed seem to ease my poor stomach,” Marise replied, cradling her belly. “I’ve not been sick for a whole week! I think the supply of ingredients and foodstuffs you brought us should last us until the baby is born, and I can mix the potion fairly well myself now.”

Though her face and tone were soft and gentle, Jaina wondered if Laheeb’s wife simply still was wary of trusting her, like the rest of the people. At least she didn’t think she was going to poison her, and at least she had appreciated the Humidify spell? Still, Jaina didn’t understand why the young mother seemed so reluctant to accept further help…

“You should show your water spell to Eblis,” Marise continued. “He’s the only one who is any good with magic, or has the runes for it, for that matter! My husband and I aren’t the only ones who worry about enough clean water to drink, after all.”

“Of course!” Jaina nodded, waving. “Take care, Marise! I can’t wait to see the baby!”

She headed for the bar, thinking it would be good to talk to Laheeb about how Marise was faring before she returned to Eblis. It had been four days since she was here last, and she hoped he was doing well--as well as he could with the village being what it was, anyway.

Soulful soprano notes filled her ears as she stepped into the bar, and in the corner she could see Senni, the local bard, seated on a bar stool and singing with Ozan playing his lute beside her. Jaina couldn’t understand the words--she assumed the song was in the ancient language of the locals--but she still felt compelled to sway along to the beautiful music. She did her best to hum along as she swayed once she had a feel for the tune.

When the song had concluded, Ozan immediately perked up and waved to her. “Ah, just the friend I was looking for! Now where’s that fellow with the trinket you wanted? My, ahem, mission to Menaphos was a success! A close call, yes, but a success! There must have been a thousand of the pharaoh’s royal guard that I had to sneak past! And you would hardly believe the methods I had to go to in order to even get into the city! It involved fish barrels and outrunning crocodiles...”

Senni sighed and rolled her eyes, and the men in the bar groaned and took gulps of their ale. It seemed they were all unimpressed with Ozan’s tendency to blatantly exaggerate his stories, and Jaina was no stranger to that--but she knew he was at least telling the truth about having acquired something from Menaphos.

“Enough with the boasting,” Laheeb spoke from his table nearby, before Jaina could say anything. “Show us the proof!”

“Gladly, good sir!” Setting his lute down, Ozan stood up and produced a glittering ring from his pocket. “Take a look at this!”

Jaina stepped closer to look at the ring in his hand. It was wrought of solid gold and bore a signet shaped like a crocodile’s head; a large emerald served as the crocodile’s eye, while the rest of the head was adorned with tiny peridots and diamonds, complete with two diamond fangs at the tip of the crocodile’s open mouth.

“This is no ordinary ring!” Ozan proudly proclaimed. “It is the Stern Eye of Crondis, from the pharaoh’s prized collection! There’s a story that a jeweler made it long ago to honor Crondis herself, but when she saw it, she politely turned down the gift--you see, such a gaudy, flashy trinket displeased the lady of modesty, and she requested that the jeweler use the money he would make from selling it to feed and clothe the poor!”

The men were staring at the ring with wide eyes and mouths agape, and Jaina found herself strangely compelled to look at the emerald. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like there was something magical about it…

“That’s quite a find, Ozan! May I see it?”

“Ah.. be careful, friend!” Ozan said, and Jaina couldn’t quite tell if he was still being his usual overdramatic self or if he was trying to be serious. “The pieces known to the Menaphites as the Stern Jewels are rumored to be cursed! I dared not touch the Eye directly, just in case.”

One of the men snorted, shaking his head. “There’s no point in being superstitious, if you ask me! Our dear leader needs to realize that… I think the Menaphites made that superstition up to deter thieves!”

Laheeb stroked his beard as he eyed the ring. “Hm, if it is thought to be cursed, then the thugs of Pollnivneach will never dare attempt to steal it, and it is unlikely that any foreign merchants will believe in the curse... I did not believe your claims, bard, but this may well be a worthy trinket to hold onto! I did not expect to say this, but I thank you.”

Ozan bowed politely. “You are very welcome, sir, but I suspect there may be some merit to the curse! I must still advise you not to touch the Eye of the ring or wear the ring.”

“I have no desire to wear it,” Laheeb replied, “merely to sell it to aid my wife and child! Please give it to me, and I will fetch the other trinket!” He turned to look at Jaina, nodding her way. “Wait here, Miss Jaina. As promised, the cross is yours! Should Marise and the child have further health issues, I shall ask your aid again, but for the moment we shall be fine with what you have provided.”

The adventurer smiled at him and nodded steadfastly. “You can count on me, Mr. Laheeb sir!”

As she watched Laheeb accept and pocket the ring, she was sure Ozan was right this time. Ordinarily she too would have been skeptical of his claim, but there was definitely something magical about that ring, curse or otherwise, and it was best not to take any chances with unknown enchantments like that.

It was only about a few minutes before she saw Laheeb come running back into the bar and immediately hold out something shiny towards her. “Here! Take it.”

Jaina accepted the cross and looked it over. It was made of wrought iron, its gold plating no longer lustrous and worn away in several places, and with a square buckle over the center. At the tip of each of its four prongs was an orange sunstone, glittering as the sunlight shone upon its facets.

“Thank you, sir,” she said, carefully tucking the cross into her bag. Now, she knew, she would have to speak to Eblis about Lunar magic before she headed off to meet that sketchy merchant. “I appreciate the help! And thank you too, Ozan; I knew I could count on you!”

“It was really no trouble!” Ozan smiled proudly at her. “I shall be here for awhile if you need me, Jaina! I have been learning the local people’s traditional songs; you might be interested in them as well!”

Indeed she was, but that would have to wait. The hero needed her first!

~***~

The shadowy cavern appeared unassuming at a glance; though it was quite dark and even the dim torches that flickered on the walls appeared dull and washed out, the rocky tunnels and thick stalagmites on the ground looked hardly any different from any other underground cave across Kandarin. Since she had put on the little ring, though, Jaina couldn’t shake the unsettling aura that seemed to permeate the very air. A piercing sensation from all directions made her shiver and pull her coat tighter around her; it was as though there were a thousand pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows and each was staring at her, eyeing her up as lunch or something worse. A strange and unnatural chill had come over her, as if unseen tendrils and shadowy hands were brushing against her skin and reaching for her, beckoning into the darkness, and she thought she could hear faint whispers, skitters, and footsteps all around her.

This guardian that lurked within the depths; Damis, the merchant had said… could he see her already? Was it his gaze she felt staring at her, or that of some other unimaginable horror? How had a simple traveling merchant known his name? The merchant was undeniably a shady fellow anyway, but could he truly have meant to lure her into a trap? If he thought she was easy prey and that she would go down without a fight, he--and Damis, for that matter--would have to think again!

The adventurer couldn’t deny that she was dreadfully nervous about the battle ahead, though; so far the smoke warrior Fareed had fallen to her watery skills, and blades of wind had sliced through the vampyre Dessous’ wings like freshly churned butter--and the ice guardian’s weakness would be fire, which only left one element for Damis…

She had never been very good with earth magic; for some reason it was always difficult to get the spells to hold their shape or produce the desired effect. While she could successfully cast Earth Surge by now, she could never be sure if the large boulder projectiles would crumble to dust on impact, if the spell would produce solid rock or a sphere of damp soil, or even if she would somehow manage to open up a fissure in the ground. Earth magic also had an annoying tendency to fail to cast, as well as being difficult to aim properly. How had her mother had such skill with such a frustrating element?

Her thoughts turned to her mother, hard at work in the little garden plot outside the family home on a sunny Bennath afternoon, summoned ent familiar by her side. Mother’s hands and face were mottled with dirt and sweat, her long, thick strawberry-blonde braid tucked beneath her apron strings so it would not fall into the soil. Occasionally she would nod wordlessly to the familiar, and it would slowly creak around the plot and use its magic to prepare the soil for the seeds to be planted.

_“Nature itself perhaps best teaches us about balance, Jaina. The soil, the plants, the beasts… all of them have many dualities, just like Guthix, that seem to be complete opposites! Day and night, life and death, tranquility and fear, danger and hospitality... Consider how we plant the seeds of new life in our garden, and how we use the remains of other plants to make the compost that strengthens the new plant life! Or think of wild animals, fierce, vicious, ready to bare fang or claw to any intruder; yet you would never have more loyal and trustworthy companions should you befriend them! The river, with its waters that are necessary for us all to survive, yet its currents could drag you down to the depths and take that gift of life away... When you understand the many dual aspects of nature, you are well-prepared to interact with the world around you!”_

Jaina could see Mother’s gentle smile as if she were right there beside her, and her pace did not falter as her reverie shifted to the hillside path to the ogre city of Gu’Tanoth. The summoner Bogrog stood beside the obelisk, his tusks shining pale yellow in the soft glow it emitted; he held up a large wolf skull in his massive hands.

_“As summoner, you must command respect of familiar! Not right to use shiny tokens to get parts of creature you need for pouch. You not show creature you stronger in combat, then familiar not respect you as summoner! When you go back to Yanille magic hut, you make sure you have strong magic, then you go and hunt creature you want summon! Me suggests you also practice hitting stuff hard with magic stick!”_

Howling resonated in her ears, and it took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t the memory of the wolves of the Feldip Hills, but something nearby in the caves up ahead! She squinted to try to see better in the dim passages, reaching for her staff...

**“You… do not… belong… in this… place...”**

The words, echoing in the darkness, sent a chill down her spine, and she gripped her staff more tightly to press forward. She had no idea if it was the guardian who had spoken or something else that was hidden in the shadows, but she had to stay determined…

Gleaming yellow eyes flashed on either side of her, and the very shadows themselves appeared to coalesce before her eyes into the shape of a wolf. The creature eyed her menacingly, though it did not move to attack her, and gave a warning growl as if to tell her to leave. She willed herself to push forward, fervently hoping she was going the right way.

**“Turn back now...”**

As much as she felt compelled to turn back, she pressed on; the voice had seemed much closer now…

She came upon a vast chamber, far larger than the rest of the twisting cavern, but just as dark and dim. The shadows seemed to part like curtains to reveal a warrior clad in thick black armor, a massive black greatsword slung across his back. Onyx eyes locked onto her from between the opening of his helm, and he drew his sword with startling ease.

“You should have listened to me!” he hissed, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. “I am Damis, lord of the shadows, and the shadows shall consume you forever!”

Ignoring the chill that shot down her spine, Jaina quickly snatched a small beige-colored pouch from her bag and immediately opened it up. “Great ent, my friend, come to my aid! Bring the wrath of the forest upon our foe!”

As she opened the pouch, a flash of white light burst out of it, illuminating the cavern as it took form. Within a matter of seconds, there stood a giant ent, its leafy branches almost brushing against the ceiling.

Damis charged, and the ent charged towards him at a surprisingly great speed that it rarely used, its roots thumping and creaking loudly on the cavern floor. Thick roots emerged from the ground to whip at the warrior, and the ent began spitting streams of acorns from its mouth that exploded in emerald bursts as they struck him. In between spitting acorns, it swiped at his face with its large, branched hands.

Growling and wincing, Damis began cleaving through the roots with his sword, slicing through the wood as cleanly as if he were wielding an axe. Jaina knew that her familiar’s diversion couldn’t delay him forever; she was already focusing her spell, fervently hoping that it would do what it was supposed to.

“Earth… Surge!”

The massive ball of soil that went flying towards the warrior looked solid at first, but almost immediately crashed into one of the summoned roots and crumbled to pieces, clumps of dirt and rock flying everywhere. Damis did not seem particularly fazed by the bits that had gotten into his face and eyes, and merely continued to blindly hack through the roots and at the ent, clearly pushing towards the mage.

Of course a being attuned to shadows wouldn’t be hampered by being blinded, Jaina realized as she tried to circle around to get a better angle to aim her spells. She silently prayed to Guthix that her next attempt would both be solid and hit him as she concentrated again, trying to feel and visualize thick, sturdy rock.

This time her prayer was answered, and the sharp, jagged boulder she produced struck the warrior cleanly in the back, causing him to stagger forward and stumble straight into the ent. It seized the opportunity to have the summoned roots beat down on him as it fired more acorn barrages, and though he quickly regained his composure and began to strike the familiar with his sword, he was clearly beginning to slow and weaken from the constant barrage of attacks.

One more well-timed Earth Surge managed to open up a small fissure beneath him in the ground, and he grunted loudly as he tripped and fell forward on his face, somehow still managing to keep his grip on his sword. He was breathing heavily, seething, snarling, and as the ent readied another acorn barrage, his eyes again locked squarely onto Jaina. That sharp, piercing onyx stare momentarily caused her to freeze where she stood, her blood running cold…

Suddenly the shadows swirled wildly about Damis and he rose upward off the ground, then thrust his arms outward. His entire suit of armor shattered with a horrible metallic screech, leaving him clad only in worn sackcloth trousers. “Now I show you my true power!”

Hefting his blade with ease, he deftly whirled around, slicing through the remaining roots and dispelling the familiar back to the spirit plane in one fell swoop. “Taste my blade, and feel my wrath!” he shouted, striding confidently towards Jaina with his massive sword at the ready.

Thinking quickly, she flung a Water Surge at him in the hopes that its force would knock him back and buy her some time before he got close. She hurried towards one end of the chamber, concentrating on using her next few Earth Surges to raise pillars and walls that might block his path. Only a few were solid enough to stay standing, with the rest crumbling to dust.

The water spell left Damis’ massive muscular form wet and glistening, but being knocked back did not delay him for long. The few walls she had managed to erect did not seem to faze him either; he simply either went around them or struck them with his sword to make them crumble. He was getting dangerously close, close enough that she could see the smears of dirt and mud all over his large chest…

Soon she found herself nearly backed into a corner, and he was just a few steps away; her hands were soaked with sweat as she clutched her staff. Her eyes darted around for any openings, but he had already closed the gap between them, and was raising his sword for a swing…

She jumped, narrowly avoiding the blade--but she let out an agonized scream as the pommel struck her cleanly in the shoulder, and the force of the blow sent her backwards into the cavern wall. She lost her grip on her staff as she crumpled to the ground, searing pain shooting up her spine.

Damis grunted and raised his sword again, preparing to cleave her in half, and her mind raced. She had to get this right, or she was done for… and he was already soaking wet from her Water Surge…

She managed to get one hand onto the bottom end of her staff and concentrate, fervently hoping this would work…

“Earth… Surge...”

A thick ball of soil emerged from the ground and struck Damis squarely in the face, and he began coughing and sputtering, his mouth full of mud. He dropped his blade and began flailing about where he stood, his entire upper body covered in thick clumps of mud.

Her whole body still ached too much for her to get to her feet, but Jaina did manage to pick up her staff again and shove its blunt end straight into the warrior’s stomach. The blow was enough to cause him to gasp and send him falling backwards and prone onto the ground. He was clawing at his dirt-covered face, spitting out chunks of soil, coughing, wheezing… Gradually his movements slowed, and the horrible choking sounds continued for what seemed like ages before at last his body stilled.

Slowly, shakily, the adventurer stood up, still sore all over as she stumbled her way over to Damis’ corpse. The black greatsword lay on the ground beside his body, and set in the hilt of the blade was a glinting black diamond. Her goal! Now it was hers, and only one remained…

Taking a chisel from a side pouch in her bag, she set about prying the diamond out of the sword hilt. She had no plans to take such a heavy sword with her, not after it had come so close to slicing her in two--and the sooner she could get out of this place, the better!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I had planned that this story would be two parts long, but as it turns out, it ended up being three parts long! Funny how things turn out...
> 
> One challenge with writing the desert bandits is that I don't want them to be totally helpless and reliant on Jaina to bail them out of everything, nor for them to just view her as their savior. Hopefully I've managed to portray them as desiring to be as self-sufficient and strong as they possibly can and not just expecting her to handle everything! Of course, she doesn't quite understand that her wanting to help too much might make them bristle...
> 
> The fight scene was perhaps one of the most challenging things for me to write, especially given that ingame it wasn't that hard and can be easily cheesed with the right safespot! It's always a challenge to write a fight scene that's tense, compelling, and gives off a sense that the hero is in real danger... ah, but it was important to show you how Jaina handles situations where she has to use the magic she is worst at!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

Cold had never bothered Jaina all that much, and the ice and snow of the northern mountains were beautiful to behold, but the chill winds blowing down from the pass up ahead seemed to pierce straight through her thick fur-lined white robes. She drew her fur cloak tighter around herself, shivering intensely as she gazed up ahead. The pass would be treacherous to navigate with these strong gales, and there was a solid spiraling path of ice further upwards too; she was sure that if she wasn’t careful, she would be blown clean down the mountainside. Even if she could stay on her feet, she would have to do all she could to keep frostbite at bay. The Lunar spell known as Insulation would provide a temporary aura of heat about her, but she could barely feel its usual warm embrace against her skin; the wind was insistent on pushing past the aura and her three layers of clothing to bite and chill every inch of her.

She still hadn’t yet managed to cast a proper Fire Surge; it was difficult to safely practice aiming and controlling such a large fire spell, and she’d rather not set a house on fire—this mountain pass would be where she’d have to succeed at it, she was sure. The wind would blow away all but the strongest flames, and it was here that one final guardian remained—the protector of the ice diamond, who would be difficult to defeat even with fire magic in this cold. Even Fire Wave might not be enough to melt his defenses…

A sniffling sob suddenly caught her attention, and she turned, a gust of wind whipping her hair into her face, to see a quivering bundle of white fur sitting on a snowbank nearby. An ice troll, and a child, no less! The sight reminded her of another troll child some months ago, frightened and sobbing in a corner of an abandoned mine in Burthorpe…

~***~

_As she approached the pile of rocks in the corner of the mine, the baby troll blinked up at her, the leaf on his head quivering as he sniffled. She knew she had to do something to cheer him up, reassure him that it would be okay… he was only a child; he’d done nothing wrong…_

_Offering him a friendly smile, Jaina waved at him. “Hello there…”_

_The baby troll stopped crying for a moment, his large black eyes never leaving her. He was still shaking and shivering, hugging his little stubs of legs close to his chest._

_He must be hungry, she surmised; her eyes falling on the food hamper she’d left near the mine entrance. It was full of fresh fruit, cheese, and bread; she’d been on her way to deliver it to the refugees before the troll general Morningstar had attacked. Well, when she’d heard about hungry children in the care of the druids, nobody had said it was only human children who were hungry, and there was enough food in the hamper to spare a bit for this little fellow…_

_“Here, I’ve got something for you! Ozan, bring the hamper over here, will you please?”_

_Her companion frowned, reluctantly picking up the hamper. “You are not thinking what I think you are thinking? We did just kill his father over there!”_

_“Please, Ozan, he’s only a baby,” Jaina pointed out. “He’s not his father; he hasn’t done anything wrong or harmed any humans! I don’t want to let a baby go hungry!”_

_“If you’re sure…” Ozan carried the hamper over to Jaina’s side, and she accepted it from him and rooted through it to find a treat for the child. He might like something sweet, and it should be small and soft enough for a toothless baby to be able to eat._

_She found what she was after in a ripe red strawberry, and kneeled to offer it to the baby troll. “Here, this is for you!”_

_The child perked up at the sight of it. “Food?” he asked._

_“Yes, food!” She gently placed the strawberry in his hands, smiling encouragingly at him. “It’s a strawberry! You’ll like it, promise!”_

_He examined the strawberry thoughtfully, blinking, and then readily popped it in his mouth. A smile spread across his little face as he devoured it in a single bite. “Yum! Me like strawberry!”_

_Jumping off the pile of rocks, he wobbled towards Jaina on his little stubby legs, still smiling up at her. “Now name Strawberry! Thankoo wots!”_

_He wrapped his tiny arms around her leg, and Ozan chuckled dryly. “Looks like you have a new little friend, eh, Jaina?”_

_Her face flushed slightly, and she bent down to pick up the newly-named Strawberry. “Seems that way, and he’s going to need a good home… perhaps he won’t grow up to be as brutish as other trolls…”_

_The idea was already blossoming in her mind before she had even finished her previous thought. “Hm… Strawberry, would you like to come home with me? I’ll take you to see the world, and read you stories, and make sure you can have plenty of fresh fruit to eat!”_

_Strawberry gave an excited squeal. “I go, I go! I wike woo wots! Woo nice!”_

_“I guess it’s settled then,” said Jaina, patting him gently on the head. “Come on, Strawberry! We’re going to bring this food to share with some other nice people, okay? I’ll make you a special welcome-home dinner later tonight, too!”_

~***~

Jaina couldn’t help but wonder how Strawberry was faring with Korrilan looking after him for the moment; she would need to make time to check up on him after this. This ice troll child was definitely a bit older than Strawberry, but perhaps a sweet treat would cheer him up all the same.

Taking a slice of chocolate cake from her bag, she approached the little ice troll and knelt beside him, holding it out to him. “Here, this should help you dry those tears…”

The ice troll uncurled himself and eyed the cake, and tentatively took it from her. He sniffled sadly and nibbled slowly at it, seeming to relax a little as he did.

“Hello there,” Jaina greeted, offering him a smile. “What’s your name?”

“H-hello…” quavered the child. “I-I Snowflake…”

“Well, Snowflake, what’s wrong?”

“Mommy… Daddy…” Snowflake let out another sob, and nibbled a bit more at the slice of cake to calm himself down. “Bad man get them! Make all freezy!”

“Bad man…?” He must mean the diamond guardian!

Snowflake nodded. “Say they steal diamond! Not true; Mommy say stealing bad! We just find it, and then he do weird handwavey thing and then they get freezified!”

Jaina nodded in understanding—of course it could have only been the guardian! “Alright, Snowflake, I’m going to go and deal with the bad man, and then I’ll find your parents for you, okay? I should be able to dispel the magic that froze them! I just hope they don’t have a taste for humans…”

Snowflake shook his head. “We eat berries an’ bunnies an’ fish an’ wolf meat an’ wolf bones! Mackerel my fabwit!” He nibbled a bit more at the cake, eyeing it curiously. “I like this too! What it called?”

“Chocolate cake,” she replied, smiling. “I can come back with some more for you another time—and I can introduce you to a little mountain troll I’m looking after! You two might become good friends.”

“Th-thanks, nice lady…” Snowflake looked at her with pleading eyes. “I prombise you can have stupid diamond when Mommy an’ Daddy come back! Don’t wannit…”

“Alright, thank you, Snowflake…” Jaina looked up towards the pass, but the cave just beyond the nearby gate had become covered in thick icicles at some point when she’d been talking to the troll child. This place really was the coldest she’d ever been.

“Oh…” Snowflake hung his head. “Sorry… I freezified cave with sads! Ice trolls do that sometimes! But you small; you squeeze through bars to get through gate!”

Jaina nodded and headed for the gate, only to slip on an unseen patch of ice as she got close. She had to grab the bars of the gate to regain her balance and stagger back to her feet. If she could lose her footing like that while there was still snow to walk on, how much worse would it be to go up that twisting, turning ice path?

No, she had to keep going, had to make it through! She squeezed through the thin icy bars of the gate, shivering as the wind stung her face. Perhaps here she could try casting Fire Surge to melt through the wall of icicles blocking the cave entrance! Snowflake would be safe on the other side of the gate.

Drawing a deep breath, she focused her mind as she approached the frozen cave entrance, willing herself to think warm thoughts and imagine roaring flames all around her. She concentrated, drawing upon the power of the spell and the runes in her bag, and focused her energies towards the ice wall.

“Fire… Surge!”

Flames roared to life all around her, crackling and blazing, surrounding her with intense heat… and then diminished just as quickly as they had appeared before the spell could be propelled forward, the biting wind blowing away the last vestiges of flame that remained as if to mock her. The thick wall of ice was still there, though it had melted enough to mostly fuse into one solid sheet.

Jaina sighed defeatedly at yet another failed Fire Surge attempt. She couldn’t fail the spell, not now, not when she encountered the guardian… and it sounded as if the wind was laughing at her as its frosty grip reached past her layers to her very core. Still, she didn’t want to burn through all her runes just getting through this ice wall. It was too thick; she’d have to try another method. If she couldn’t melt the ice… perhaps she could cut through it! She would show this place whose winds were stronger!

Stepping back a few paces, she unleashed a Wind Surge in the form of sharp blade-like gusts, and the thick sheet of ice loosened from the impact of the spell and shattered, the sound reverberating in the cave, as it fell away from the entrance. She could almost hear Dessous’ agonized screams as sharp blades of wind tore his wings to shreds echoing amidst the cracking of the ice.

Satisfied that the path was now open to her, Jaina ran forward into the cave, glad for the momentary respite from the howling gales. As much as her whole body craved a moment’s rest to try to sit by a fire and warm up, she willed herself to keep going at a steady run; any delay would make things worse, and the wolves within would also be a problem if she lingered.

When she emerged from the cave, higher atop the mountain, the blast of frozen wind that blew her to her feet made the previous winds seem like gentle summer breezes by comparison. Every sliver of magical warmth against her skin seemed to be blown away in an instant as the stark chill seeped into her very bones, and she could almost feel her blood freezing solid on the spot.

_Push on,_ she thought, struggling to her feet and trying to go forward against the wind with her numb, tired legs. _You can’t fail now… you can do this…_

Further up the winding path she pushed herself, her limbs growing stiffer and number with every step as the wind howled deafeningly in her ears. She didn’t know how far she had gone when she realized she couldn’t feel her face or hands--at least, not until she heard the creaking of armor and had to squint to see a glittering blue figure striding towards her. The warrior was clad in translucent full plate that looked as though it were made of ice, his head covered by a helm that exposed his face and beard. Steely blue eyes locked chillingly onto her, and he brandished a short icicle blade in his right hand.

“Fool! There is but one reason you would traverse this path, and coming here is the last mistake you will ever make,” he snarled. “Know, in your final moments, that it was Kamil who buried you in a frozen grave, forever forgotten deep beneath the ice and snow!”

He raised his free hand towards the mage before she had a chance to react. “Sallamakar ro!”

Though she was too numb to feel it, her eyes widened as she saw a thick wall of ice form around her. She had to break free!

Try as she might, she couldn’t move anything but her head or neck, especially since she couldn’t feel her limbs--and the warrior--Kamil--began towards her, icy blade gleaming menacingly in his hand. Her eyes darted frantically to her frozen form...

Her staff, frozen in her hand. She could still cast magic! Here was her chance! She squeezed her eyes shut to concentrate...

“Fire… Wave!”

For a moment she felt a seemingly phantom rush of heat around her, but it faded just as quickly as it had come, and the ice around her remained solid and unyielding. He was getting closer, undeterred and unfazed…

There was only one chance… he was just a few steps from her… she squeezed her eyes shut, channeling all her concentration and willpower into focusing her magic... this spell, this elusive spell, now meant life or death…

“FIRE SURGE!”

A crackling roar, a blinding orange glow, a searing blaze dispelling the cold, a surge of agonizing pain through her whole body… a shattering crack, a surprised shout, piercing stabs and sharp slices… red and orange and white and blue, blood and fire and burning and pain…

She was on the ground now, staff still clutched in hand, the flames from the spell still roaring all around her. Blinking rapidly through the agonizing pain coursing through her, she focused on trying to move her arms and legs again. It hurt unbearably to try to move even slightly, but she couldn’t let that stop her. Kamil had been knocked down as well, and his blade lay just inches away from the circle of fire surrounding them.

She had done it… she had cast Fire Surge! But there was no time to celebrate; she had to be quick and not let him freeze her again!

Immediately she concentrated again, her eyes never leaving him. If she could do it once, she could do it again…

Kamil lunged for his blade at the moment she hurled another Fire Surge at him, and the next few moments were a blur. His gauntleted hand grasping the hilt of his blade, the point of the blade just inches from her chest... then the full force of the flames connecting point-blank with his head… then the horrific scream, the sizzling of burning flesh, the acrid stench, the body being flung backwards, the loud thud and crack as it hit the ground…

Jaina stayed there for a moment, panting, unable to move as the sharp aching from feeling coming back into her muscles ripped through her. The magical flames still raged all around her despite the wind and snow, and she willed herself to stand up, using her staff as support as she staggered to her feet.

She still needed the staff to get all the way over to Kamil’s corpse, and she tried her best to ignore the hideous charred mess that was his head, roasted like a goose inside his helm, as she searched his body for the diamond. Failing to find anything on him, she checked his nearby tent and bedroll, and was surprised to find two chocolate cakes and a potion of warmth hidden in a crate with a magical heat aura enchanting it. Her throat was so dry it was hard to breathe, and she needed to put on those boot spikes Burthorpe’s blacksmith had made to continue up that spiraling ice shelf up ahead, so she sat down on the bedroll and pulled out the flask of hot cocoa she’d brought for the trip from her bag. She took a sip of the potion first, noticing that the tent did a good job of shielding her from the wind outside, but the cocoa filled her with a welcome warmth all throughout her body that she had started to think she might never feel again.

Much as she wanted to rest awhile, the matter of the diamond and Snowflake’s parents still remained, and she couldn’t afford to linger too long up here with the wind. Once she had finished off the rest of the cocoa, she put the warmth potion and the cakes in her bag and set about strapping the boot spikes securely to the soles of her boots. Then she made for the ice shelf, glad for the extra traction the boot spikes gave her in the thick snow.

The beautiful spiraling ice pathway was unlike anything Jaina had ever seen, glittering a transparent sky blue as it caught the sunlight, and she wondered how it had been built and where it led. The wind had died down considerably; she considered if Kamil had been causing the wind to be as strong as it was before, but it could’ve just as well been natural. Slowly but surely she stepped onto the ice shelf, the boot spikes keeping her steady as she used her staff to keep her balance. One misstep would mean a slip and, as the path wound higher, a particularly nasty fall.

She made each step carefully and deliberately, watching her feet as she gradually ascended the spiral path. Twice she came close to slipping and had to use her staff to stop her fall, but eventually, after what felt like ages, she came upon the peak of the mountain. There, like pillars at the entrance to a great shrine, were two solid blocks of ice side by side, an ice troll clearly visible inside each.

Even without the wind up here, the ice was too thick to cut through; the adventurer knew exactly what spell she’d have to use. Concentrating and focusing the spell in her mind, she hoped the ice was thick enough that Snowflake’s parents would not be burned.

“Fire Surge!”

The roaring blaze squarely struck the ice block to her right, and it swiftly melted away and congealed upon the snowy surface of the mountain peak. The troll had come out unscathed, and was looking around wildly and blinking.

One more Fire Surge released the other troll, and both of them smiled gratefully as they approached Jaina. “Thank you much for rescue,” the larger one said, his deep voice and thicker beard-like fur on his face indicating that he must be Snowflake’s father. “So glad to be out of big ice cube! Icicle, you okay too?”

The other troll, who could only be Snowflake’s mother, nodded. “Yes, yes! Worried about you too, Wolf Paw! And Snowflake… But why little squishy man do this? He always leave us alone before.”

“It was because he wanted his diamond,” Jaina chimed in. “Snowflake told me! He was rather worried about you both...”

“Squishy man strange,” Wolf Paw remarked. “Why he no just ask? We not need diamond; I just find it! He ask, I give!”

“You met Snowflake?” Icicle asked, looking frantic. “He okay?”

“Yes, I met Snowflake by the gate, down at the base of the mountain.” Jaina gazed down at the icy path below, wondering if she could see the whole world from up here. “He was fine, just really worried! By the way, does he happen to have any friends his age to play with?”

Icicle tilted her head oddly. “That odd question to ask! He just play with us; not really any other children up here right now.”

“Well, I know a little troll who would love to be Snowflake’s friend and play with him!” Jaina smiled as she thought of Strawberry. “A mountain troll baby I adopted some time ago. His name is Strawberry, and he loves fresh fruit, playing tag, and warm hugs, and he can even burp the alphabet!”

The troll parents gave her a confused stare for a moment--likely, she realized, because they didn’t know what the alphabet was--but Wolf Paw soon nodded slowly. “Squishy lady most kind! Friend good for Snowflake, for sure. Come, I carry you down mountain! Snowflake will give you diamond as thanks when we get to bottom.”

He deftly hoisted the adventurer onto his shoulders before she could say anything, and she was glad to bury herself in his thick white fur and hold on tight as he nimbly bounded down the mountainside, even if he did smell bad--it was warm and cozy, and she had known from the start that she would need a nice, long, hot bath after this anyway. Already her mind was drifting to the baking desert sands, to the ancient pyramid where the imperiled hero had been waiting for help for so long.

~***~

As the wind blew through her hair, Jaina pulled her overcoat tighter around her and looked up at the pyramid before her. It towered imposingly, casting a large shadow behind it over the desert sands. Hard to believe there was some kind of distressed damsel in there—wait, what exactly did one call a damsel that was a man? Or was “damsel” the right word regardless?

Whose idea had it been to put whatever-his-name-was—Azzy-something, had Eblis said?—in there anyway? Couldn’t they have locked him in a tower, where there would be a window and room to breathe? Or would that have been too predictable? She did hope he wasn’t dead either way… well, the magic that was keeping him trapped likely kept him alive and in some kind of stasis; the gods probably would have killed him outright instead of trapping him if they could have. The four diamonds had a pull to them when she touched them, as if they were gravitating towards the four obelisks at each corner of the pyramid; either the hero’s soul was calling out to them, or they were drawn to his essence…

Tentatively she approached the pyramid, clutching each diamond in her hand and following its pull towards each of the four obelisks one at a time. She had thought Eblis would have wanted to do this himself, but he had given her back the smoke and blood diamonds and told her to hurry immediately upon her return, so she had obliged.

Each diamond fit neatly into the shimmering chambers within the obelisks, glowing vibrantly and practically floating out of her hand as they hummed—almost seeming happy to be back. As she placed the final diamond, the ice diamond, into its obelisk, she heard a loud flash from the top of the pyramid, the unmistakable sound of a magical barrier dispelling.

Hurrying around to a staircase that had suddenly appeared on the north side of the pyramid, Jaina shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight with one hand as she ascended. At the peak of the pyramid, a small door awaited her, now all that remained between her and the hero’s rescue.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and slid down the ladder inside, glad to be out of the bright sunlight. She took a moment to brush the sand off her skirt before venturing into the pyramid’s twisting halls.

She didn’t have long to be glad, though—hardly had she taken a few steps when the creaking of a large stone slab split the air nearby and a mummy emerged from a sarcophagus on the wall, rusty scimitar in hand. Quickly she cast a Fire Surge at it, dashing down the hall as it screamed and burned to ashes, and paused in a corner to catch her breath. She had no time to lose when the hero was counting on her; she had to find her way through the maze of halls in one piece…

Then the first scarab swarm boiled up from a loose tile, chittering and squealing as it swirled towards her.

She ran.

~***~

The last thing Azzanadra could remember was the agonizing, wrenching sensation of being suddenly torn from his body, and the world going black around him as he had vaguely felt himself being dragged towards the pyramid amid that sea of excruciating pain. His head was still spinning as he opened his eyes and everything gradually came back into view, and he could not yet feel his body, but at least he knew he was alive and free—they were fools to think they could trap him here for long! He must recover his physical body and seek out the survivors at once!

When his vision had cleared, he took a moment to survey his surroundings. There was little of note in the small burial chamber, its walls lined with sarcophagi, other than the altar to his lord behind him—though the young human female passed out cold on the floor was a rather… surprising sight to say the least. Azzanadra could not help but notice that the girl’s hair, tied up with two dusty white ribbons, was a striking color, a bright and lively shade of purple, as if Zaros himself had laid hands upon her head. Odd as it was to see a human with that color hair, it was nonetheless an intriguing sight as well. How had she come to have such colorful hair?

A closer look at her indicated that she was alive, asleep, and mostly unharmed; she seemed merely to have collapsed from exhaustion. She did have a particularly nasty bleeding gash on one leg, however—something must be done about that. Drifting around to her side, he concentrated on the wound and quietly muttered a chant, mending the flesh in a pale green healing light.

Why was she here? That staff she was carrying—she must be a magician. Indeed, she wore the sort of recent female mage’s livery that many Saradominist troops wore, brought about by the shortages of clothing material… yet if she were an enemy, she would surely not have foolishly come to free him, knowing he would slay her on the spot and return at once to aid the faithful in their struggle. She had most likely come from Senntisten, having claimed the robes of a fallen enemy mage for the sake of subterfuge, and had been sent to free him… but she certainly would not have been sent off on such a mission alone; she was likely therefore the sole survivor of her squad. The situation must be truly dire out there without him to help! Who knew what perils she must have faced on her way, and what terrible fates had befallen her squad?

Well, she could inform him precisely how dire it was. Once the battle was taken care of, he would make sure that her courage and effort did not go unrewarded.

If he could have, he would have tapped her on the shoulder to try and awaken her, but as it was he had to telekinetically give her hair a light pull. She twitched and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes, after the second time.

“Ow… oh, my head…” She took a moment to look herself over, her eyes growing wide when she glanced over at her not-so-injured leg. “My… my leg, I—but…” Slowly and shakily she stood up, staring at him curiously. “Did you…?”

“Yes.” Azzanadra made his way around to face her. “Well done, soldier, how goes the battle?”

The human gave him a blank stare. “Battle… What?”

He presumed—and hoped—that she was merely slightly dazed from what she had endured and it would all come rushing back to her soon, but the confused look on her face didn’t fade.

“You… you do not know of the battle?” When she nodded, he frowned concernedly. “More time must have passed than I had thought…” Whatever had happened, and even if Senntisten had somehow fallen, he must know what had befallen the rest of the empire. Surely he had not been in here more than a hundred years at most?

“Tell me, what news of great Paddewwa? Do the shining spires of Lassar still stand? And what of glorious Annakarl? The fortress is still intact?”

The purple-haired human continued to stare, looking even more confused as she slowly stood up. “Um… it’s 169 of the Fifth Age, and I’ve never heard of any of those?”

“W-what? No… My lord… What has happened? I have failed you…”

They had failed… he had failed his Lord! Not only were the great cities gone, she had said Fifth Age—if enough time had passed that he had missed an entire age, he must have been here a very long time indeed—at least two thousand years! He wanted desperately to believe she might be wrong, but he already knew that could not be so; she would have no reason to lie about such things. Nor could she be ignorant of the existence of the empire and the shining cities; even the elves in their isolated forests and the scattered tribes of humans, small-folk, and bird-folk in the untamed western lands knew of it. Worse yet, he could not hear Zaros’ voice in his mind anymore! The Great Lord’s guidance would have been of so much use now, yet there was nothing there…

Well, he was not going to accomplish anything by remaining here for two more ages—he would be glad to leave this place, and soon! He must first recover his physical form, and then find his brothers and whatever remained of the faithful at once! Of course, the girl still deserved something for her efforts; whatever the circumstances, it seemed he owed his freedom to her.

“My thanks to you, young adventurer, for freeing me from this accursed tomb,” he said, “but it seems I have much to do to make amends.”

Her eyes grew wide with realization. “Oh, you’re Azza-whatsit aren’t you? The legendary hero? I—I came in here to free you in the first place. Are you alright?”

A small flame of hope flickered to life within him. If she had come for that express purpose, she must have been sent after all! Perhaps Zaros could still watch over his followers, even if he could not hear him! This was certainly not going to be the last he’d be seeing of her; if she had aided him once, she could do so again—and she would be easy to find whenever he needed her. Even if he had to search the entirety of Gielinor, her hair would give her away.

“Azzanadra. Remember it well, for this shall not be the last time our paths cross—ah, might I ask your name?”

“Jaina,” she answered politely. “Jaina Katarn, of Lumbridge.”

“Well, Jaina, you seem to be a magic-wielder…” When she nodded, he continued. “In exchange for your help, I offer you the gift of knowledge. Go and touch the altar over there and I shall bestow upon you the ancient magicks, taught to me by my lord before his disappearance.”

Curiously she made her way over to the altar and tentatively stretched out her hand to touch it, and he focused his power within it, forming a link to her mind as her hand touched its surface. Her smoky gray eyes grew wide and she noticeably shuddered, her whole form glowing with an aura of golden light as the knowledge filled her mind.

“Wow…” she breathed, blinking rapidly as she turned to him again. “Um… thank you so much… I… this is… I can’t believe…”

“No, thank you, once again.” Azzanadra paused briefly to create a portal, so she could come and go as she wished easily. He had no desire to return unless he must, but he did not yet know where it would be safe for a human to pray to Zaros in this new age, and he could be certain that the shrine here would be a safe haven for her to pray and contemplate as she wished. “Now I must leave you, but I offer you the blessings of myself and my master in all your endeavors. I look forward to our next meeting.”

With that he teleported away, wondering just what role Zaros meant for her to play in the grand scheme of things. Whatever it was she might do, he was certainly not going to forget her anytime soon.

~***~

Jaina could only stand there, staring at the altar and the portal, her hands trembling all over. This magic… these spells… smoke, shadow, blood, ice… teleports to places she’d never heard of... She just knew, knew the names of the spells, knew the runes needed for all of them… All this magic she could never have imagined existing, and now it was as though she’d always known it! How had all this been forgotten all these years?

She had a much longer way to go to the cape of magic mastery than she’d realized, but she could only feel exhilaration at the knowledge she’d been given. There was only one thing to do now... she had to try these spells out!

_Two death, two chaos… these rune costs are more akin to the older way of casting; I’ll need to figure out how to cast these with fewer runes… let’s see… one fire, one air… Focus… Hope this works…_

“Smoke Rush!”

A thick plume of smoke burst into being in front of her, filling the small chamber all around her. Before she could be amazed at what she’d just done, she felt her eyes start to water and hurried, coughing, to the portal.

Maybe that hadn’t been the best spell to try in an enclosed space, she realized; the desert air now seemed so clean and fresh as she breathed it in. As the sun beat down on her back, another one of the spells almost immediately came to mind--and this one was less likely to backfire on her, she was sure!

_Two death, two chaos, just like the others... two water… good Guthix, this heat… think of fresh snow in Rintra, skating ponds, the wind in my hair, Snowflake and his parents… Right, I can do it…_

“Ice Rush!”

With a chilly gust, a shimmering sky-blue ice crystal blossomed outwards upon the sand, greatly resembling a flower--albeit one with petals of varying lengths. It sparkled beautifully beneath the bright desert sun, yet remained solid with no signs of melting; she couldn’t tear her eyes away from it.

_I’ve done it… I can do so much more… why does this feel so… so right?_

She decided to practice with this ice spell for a little while before returning to Eblis--he would be excited to hear the news of the hero, as well as see this new gift the hero had given her! And the cape of magic mastery wasn’t going to fall into her lap right away; she had a long road ahead of her--a road she was all too eager to travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roses are red, violets are blue, here is another fight scene for you! We've got to see our mage heroine actually use her skills in combat, after all...
> 
> Strawberry is a character I had previously sorely underused (as well as Jaina's little brother, but that's another story for the moment), so I jumped at the chance to establish him here so that I can make sure he plays a suitably prominent role and isn't forgotten about! He's certainly going to enjoy having a new friend...
> 
> The ice troll family being able to speak in complete sentences is one of many things in Desert Treasure that never made sense, thus why I have them speaking more like the mountain trolls do! The fact that they were never named, of course, meant that it was up to me to name them! (I might add that the treatment of Snowflake in the quest proper is just as horrible as the treatment of the desert bandits; poor little guy...)
> 
> The original version of this I did never really touched on how excited Jaina is to discover the Ancient Magicks, which was just one more way that it was inadequate and not that great--seeing as that's rather important to her character. Naturally, I sought to rectify that here!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got around to rewriting the first entry in my RS fanfic series! The original one that I had done was really not that great and failed to have appropriate gameplay-story segregation... so you get a complete overhaul from the ground up, lengthy enough to be split into chapters at that!
> 
> As much of a game-changer to the lore as Desert Treasure is, its writing as a whole really has not aged well and there's a lot in it that doesn't make sense or gel at all with where the lore has ended up; I'm also trying to avoid pure canon retreads because those are boring! I chose DT in particular as where the series should start because of how important it is to Jaina's character. Hopefully this provides a decent introduction to who she is and what she's like pre-character arcs without me having to write out every single quest!
> 
> The ingame economy does not translate well to what prices would be like in-universe; even rulers and monarchs likely wouldn't have treasuries in the millions. Besides, how is anyone going to carry that much money? The rare-items merchant wearing dragon armor is based on a remark made by an artist on DA about his fondness for the armor--and hey, it fits that a warrior who collects rare armors and items would own such an armor set!
> 
> In particular, I've attempted to flesh out the desert bandits, who in canon are criminally underused and underdeveloped. If you know me, it's no secret that I wish that they were better fleshed out and that we got to see more of their beliefs, traditions, and way of life, so of course here I am to attempt to fill in those gaps! I also found that the way the PC treats them in DT proper is incredibly dickish and horrible--frankly, the dialogue the future WG has in the whole of DT makes him/her a complete prick to _everybody_ \--but at the same time, I wanted to depict them as being nuanced; for the reader to understand why they act so hostile even if it isn't good or right for them to do so. Given the living conditions in the desert bandit camp, it makes sense that Eblis would have studied with Wahisietel, even if Wahisietel didn't reveal his true identity.
> 
> Hang tight for one more chapter!


End file.
